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December eNewsletter Features

Holiday Giving -- Learn about tax-wise giving options for this holiday season

In the Spotlight -- The Coca-Cola Foundation

Wildlife Whereabouts -- December wildlife updates from park senior biologist Steve Cain

Extreme Adventures in Grand Teton -- Check out this video of moutaineer Jimmy Chin skiing Grand Teton

Trilipiderm -- Soothe your skin after an adventure in the park

Grand Teton Trivia -- Test your knowledge of Grand Teton's trail system

Tax-Wise Giving Options Bring Joy To Everyone

This Holiday Season

Year-end is just around the corner, and charitable giving is on many of our minds. With an exciting year of the stock market hitting record highs, what better time to put your money to work funding youth programs, wildlife protection, and trail work in Grand Teton National Park while also providing a tax savings to you?

Gifts of Appreciated Securities

Avoid capital gains tax and be eligible to receive a charitable income tax deduction for full market value if you give appreciated stock you have held for more than one year.

Transferring a gift of stock to the Foundation is easy:

Wells Fargo Advisors

Larry Anderson (307) 733-9155

P.O. Box 5000

Jackson, WY 83001

DTC 0141

Account # 3056-2439

Name: Grand Teton National Park Foundation

Let us know your gift is coming so we can thank you. Stock gifts transferred to our broker often do not arrive with the donor's name included.

Charitable IRA Rollover

Expires 12/31/2013!

If you are 70 ½ or older and must take a minimum required distribution from your IRA in 2013, why not consider an IRA Charitable Rollover Gift as a tax-wise option for using IRA assets to make a charitable gift during your lifetime. Through the end of December, donors who qualify can make their gifts totaling $100,000 directly from their IRA accounts without incurring income tax.

Giving an IRA Charitable Rollover Gift to the Foundation is easy:

Contact your IRA provider and instruct them to make a Charitable IRA Rollover Gift to Grand Teton National Park Foundation. Our tax ID number is 83-0322668. We offer a sample letter here that you can send to your IRA provider to initiate the gift.

Ask your IRA provider to include information on the check that identifies you as the donor. Also, contact the Foundation to let us know you have directed the rollover so we can thank you.

This is intended to provide general gift planning information. Grand Teton National Park Foundation is not qualified to provide specific legal, tax, or investment advice, and this email should not be looked to or relied upon as a source for such advice. Please consult with your own legal and financial advisors before making any gift.

In the Spotlight!

The Coca-Cola Foundation has long been a major supporter of initiatives that encourage Americans to get active outdoors and explore national parks. Since 2010, Coca-Cola has supported the Youth Conservation Program, a privately funded teen trail crew that works on trails and historic sites in Grand Teton National Park. This work-and-learn program for 16 to 19-year-olds operates for 10 weeks each summer and is one of several programs funded by Grand Teton National Park Foundation as part of an effort to engage the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and wilderness stewards. Here to discuss the Coca-Cola Foundation's partnership with Grand Teton National Park Foundation is Lori George Billingsley, Vice President, Community Relations, Coca-Cola North America Group.

Tell us a bit about how the Youth Conservation Program aligns with Coca-Cola's interests.

Environmental stewardship, supporting healthy lifestyles, and education are three of the Coca-Cola Foundation's priorities. The company has donated more than $17 million to date in recreation grants and partnerships to help keep families active in the great outdoors. The Youth Conservation Program's teen trail crew combines leadership experiences in conservation and active living and provides a unique opportunity for summer employment in Grand Teton National Park.

Grand Teton National Park Foundation is committed to funding projects that help connect people with nature. What kind of people make up your team and how is outdoor adventure part of your company's culture?

The Coca-Cola system is made up of the people who actually make, market, and distribute Coca-Cola products.It takes a lot of people to get the job done! Coca-Cola is committed to being a part of the solution to obesity. Being active outdoors and in nature is not only fun-it is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

Coca-Cola has partnered with a growing list of diverse nonprofit organizations. How has being involved with nonprofit causes enriched the company and your customers' experiences?

Coca-Cola is a global company, but it is deeply rooted in local communities across the U.S. and around

the world. We are committed to being a positive force in every community where we do business. We reinforce our efforts by working together with local communities, other businesses, and government leaders to find meaningful solutions to health and environmental issues.

Does Coca-Cola have any projects under the radar that most people might not know about?

The Coca-Cola Company has recently developed a global partnership with leading organizations across the world to place 1,500-2,000 EKOCENTER™ units in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and North America by the end of 2015.

What is an EKOCENTER?

An EKOCENTER is an off-the-grid, modularly designed kiosk with an energy source (solar panels and batteries, biomass, or other sources based on local situation), which has been transformed from a 20-foot shipping container into an open-air hub of community activity, to provide safe water, wireless communication, power, and other functionality to jump-start entrepreneurship opportunities and development in communities in need. Each EKOCENTER can be designed and customized to meet the needs of the local community in which it will operate. Additionally, each EKOCENTER will be operated by an entrepreneur or cooperative of entrepreneurs-ideally female entrepreneurs trained through our 5by20 program.

Photo by Coca-Cola

What is Coca-Cola's coolest new product our readers will want to know about?

DASANI has introduced their new sparkling water beverages. DASANI Sparkling is unsweetened, has zero calories, is lightly carbonated and infused with natural flavors. It will be available in four great-tasting flavors: lime, lemon, berry, and apple as well as an unflavored variety. DASANI Sparkling will begin appearing in retail outlets in December 2013, with a national launch scheduled for February 2014.

Through Youth Conservation Program, more than 150 students have learned valuable job skills while gaining unforgettable hands-on experiences in Grand Teton National Park. Grand Teton National Park Foundation would like to thank the Coca-Cola Foundation for its continued support of the crew and our efforts to help these students develop a personal conservation ethic and a lifelong love of national parks.

WILDLIFE WHEREABOUTS

Nearly all bears will be denning by the end of December, sleeping through the heart of the winter.
Fall elk migrations were late this year, with most individuals arriving on the National Elk Refuge and other wintering grounds well into December.
Winter closures to protect elk and other wildlife are now in effect in the park's Snake River bottom, some high elevation bighorn sheep wintering areas, and throughout many local national forest lands.
Snow arrived early in the high country this year, causing Teton Range bighorn sheep to move to small patches of rugged winter range where sun and wind keep upper elevation ridges relatively snow free.
Bighorn sheep from the Gros Ventre population have already moved to lower elevations like Miller Butte on the National Elk Refuge, where they can often be seen from the refuge road.
Moose have begun congregating in areas where bitterbrush is abundant, such as the sagebrush flats near the Jackson Hole Airport and north of the town of Kelly.
Long-tailed weasels and snowshoe hares have traded in their brown summer coats for a more seasonally cryptic white fur. The weasels maintain the black tip on their tail to help distract potential predators.
As snow accumulates on the valley floor, sage grouse begin seeking out tall sagebrush for shelter and food.
Resident waterfowl, such as mallard, goldeneye, bufflehead and trumpeter swans, become confined to ice-free waters (thermal areas or moving streams and rivers).
Rough-legged hawks, a close relative of the red-tailed hawk, are now in the valley, having recently arrived from their arctic nesting grounds. Look for these beautiful birds on the Refuge fence north of Jackson, in South Park, along the Moose-Wilson road south of Grand Teton National Park, and in the park's Elk Ranch flats are just south of Moran Junction.

Photo by Irene Greenberg

Learn about the Foundation-funded Wildlife and Natural Resource Initiative and the crucial research of black and grizzly bears, wolves, and cougars it enables.

Jimmy Chin Skis Grand Teton

Grand Teton National Park's varied terrain provides unique experiences for millions of visitors each year. From families to experienced mountaineers, visitors will find endless trails and activities suited to all levels of exploration. World-class climber, skier, and mountaineer Jimmy Chin travels the world in search of adventure, yet always returns to his home in Jackson. One of our partners, the National Park Foundation, collaborated with the North Face to shoot this video of Jimmy Chin scaling and skiing down the Grand Teton. The footage provides a unique perspective on the Teton Range and reminds us how much remains to be explored in the park.

Jimmy Chin in Grand Teton: National Parks Epic Challenge from the National Park Foundation

Bundle up with trilipiderm

Support a local business AND Grand Teton National Park when you purchase a trilipiderm Holiday Bundle! As partners of Grand Teton National Park Foundation, trilipiderm is proud to donate a portion of our local sales to the Foundation and give back to the community that gives us so much. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has been the ideal location for the Trilipid Research Institute to launch its line of dry skin solution products. Because of the high altitude and dry climate in Jackson, trilipiderm has been able to thrive as a new company by providing the ultimate solution for both dry skin and sun exposure.

Holiday pricing is available through Friday, January 3. You will find trilipiderm products at these Jackson Hole businesses.

Grand Teton Trivia

Q: What was the first brand new trail built in the park after its 1929 dedication?

A. The Jenny Lake Trail that circles Jenny Lake, in 1930. Today there are over

200 hiking trails in the park.

Grand Teton National Park Foundation is currently collaborating with Grand Teton National Park on Inspiring Journeys: A Campaign for Jenny Lake, a $16 million public-private project that will transform Grand Teton's most famous destination. This project will celebrate the National Park Service's 100th anniversary in 2016 by creating a welcoming interpretive plaza and greatly improving trails, bridges, and key hiking destinations at Jenny Lake.

Jenny Lake Loop Trail. Photo by Bob Woodall

location:

25 S. Willow, Suite 10, Jackson, WY 83001

mailing address: P.O. Box 249, Moose, WY 83012

tel: 307-732-0629 fax: 307-732-0639

e-mail: director@gtnpf.org